Julian Assange: ”Left wing anti-american, nut job whistleblower” - A childish NY Times report today. (NY Times - A Murdoch media conglomerate with vested interest steering reporting) Or.. Julian Assange: ”An advocate for transparency and adversarial journalism — shining a light on the conduct of the world’s most powerful government and corporate factions.” (Salon.com - Independent Journalism.)
Salon.com’s brilliant rebuttal to NY Times piece here:
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/18/attacks_on_rt_and_assange_reveal_much_about_the_critics/singleton/
Whatever your opinion, it’s important to know that there are no more “watchdog main media” sources reporting today. Transparency in media and government, in the realm of common sense, does not endanger national security, nor does the suppression of freedom of speech make a nation any safer. This suppression , in fact, is what threatens our future, our nation’s safety and threatens our great nation’s values the most. Our last true people’s president, John F. Kennedy summed it up best over 50 years ago. He stated:
“There is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.”
Kennedy’s amazing and highly relevant speech here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnHBycP4qdg
If you’ve helped to raise awareness or had concerns with SOPA, please become knowledgeable and educate yourself on CISPA, which threatens your constitutional rights and internet freedoms even more than SOPA would have ever set forth to accomplish. You can do so here:
http://techland.time.com/2012/04/19/5-reasons-the-cispa-cybersecurity-bill-should-be-tossed/
You can also sign American Civil Liberties Union petition against CISPA here:
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?s_subsrc=SEM_Google_Search-Cispa_Stop+CISPA_cispa_e_13566758182&pagename=SEM_CISPA&JServSessionIdr004=yqgk1o2ib3.app223a
It may seem odd to some reading this, that one would chose to go on with political banter. Dialogue such as this might make some people uncomfortable, seem unnecessary to others, or even counterproductive to a musician’s career, I suppose. I must admit, certain discomfort or worry is now felt with what opinions may arise from putting forth an effort to raise awareness, to speak up or to, perhaps, if I may, to even to make that decision we’ve all done before by being that first person out on the dance floor. This commonly experienced comparison should remind us all that great enjoyment and passion can even be fulfilled by first passing through fear, doubt and discomfort.
In our nation today, there is currently far too much at stake for us all to not share these highly important and relevant government actions with others. Especially now, in a sea of biased, special interest, regulated, censored and controlled journalism, as well as the current threats to squander our availability to information and free speech, we must attempt do our very best at becoming more aware, knowledgeable, caring, engaged and informed citizens. Before you are a musician, a teacher, a student, a teenager, elder, lawyer, parent, waiter, artist, republican, democrat or independent - You are an United Sates Citizen and have the responsibility to care about these issues, to learn about them and to inform others, or to speak up against them. You can simply do your part by caring to know more and at least share your voice during what is one of the most politically important times of our nations history.
As stated in The Deceleration of Independence, our nations founders held certain truths to be “self-evident”. What this translates to, is that your logical thoughts or internal gut reactions to current governmental wrongdoings are correct for a reason. These thoughts, feeling and emotions are based off of a common knowledge equally inherited to all of mankind. Your feelings of injustice steer you true to believe that corporations are not individuals. That The Patriot Act, National Defense Authorization Act and countless other recent acts and presidential executive orders accomplished under the guise of “patriotism” are wrong and unconstitutional. We need Campaign reform to get the money and corruption out of politics, get it out of media, out of the agriculture industry that suppresses healthy, organic and chemical free foods. Money out of scientific studies for future alternative energies, and money out of any important policy decision being made for the well-being of a nations future.
You can learn more about campaign reform currently underway here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Americans-for-Campaign-Reform-ACR/182193211815005
One of the greatest and most memorable presidential speeches in this nations history stated, “Ask not what your country can do you, but what you can do for your country.” Understanding that there is a responsibility that comes with being a citizen of the United States is what Kennedy implied with these words. If you set aside 10 minutes to sign petitions, to post relevant political topics, or equally balance your facebook posts on these morally self-evident, unjust topics, you’d be doing a great part in adding to a more well informed and educated nation. You can do your part of your responsibility just by simply educating yourself and sharing that knowledge with others. ”We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing - with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
Caring enough about these issues to create this discussion does not make you, or myself a political activist. It just means you care enough about truth, educating yourself and doing what is right. There is no need for a title, label, judgement or definition for these actions. One is already applied to you - American citizen. That is all you need.
We are seeing a larger disconnect to shared political responsibility in society today and now, because of this, even our civil liberties are being directly threatened due to our ignorance. The current lack of knowledge and lack of discussion on the current National Defense Authorization Act proves this. Are you informed of what the NDAA is?
Know what the National Defense Authorization Act is. Learn here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2012
I believe that we could all admit and agree that we all need to to try to care more about the current political landscape of our country today. The times of choosing to remain willfully ignorant and turning the other cheek are behind us. There are too many unconstitutional injustices taking place in the nation that are able to occur simply by the lack of action which arises out of fear. The purest and greatest of all pleasures and passions in life can even be obtained by first passing through fear, doubt and discomfort or our way to obtaining fulfillment.
The dance floor always quickly fills up.
In fact, there’s also a video on that and it’s one of the most empowering viral videos out there I’ve ever seen. It also just so happens to have some of the best and funniest dance moves ever created.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ
Happy learning, sharing and dancing
